Tulsa King looks set to up the ante in the battle for supremacy in the titular Oklahoman city. Series showrunner Terence Winter teases what to expect in Season 2 of the Sylvester Stallone-led crime drama, claiming that the upcoming season is “where the fun starts.”
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Winter claimed Tulsa King Season 2 is more enticing than the critically acclaimed first season as audiences will see its key characters develop more. After Season 1 “set the table,” Winter suggested Season 2 would serve up a full course of action and intrigue. “We got to know all these different characters and set the table. Now this is where the fun starts. You can start building on those relationships, we can get into the backstories, and we see them develop and get faced with more challenges and conflicts,” he said.
Because of the character development and higher stakes, Winter hinted Season 2 boasts an advantage over Season 1 given the first season only saw the cast start to find chemistry. He pointed to Happy Days as an example of a series that progressed thanks to its character development, believing the same will happen for his show. “It’s always funny when you watch the original pilot for something and, clearly, the actors didn’t know each other. You watch the original pilot of Happy Days and Fonzie is wearing a windbreaker — he’s not Fonzie until like Season 3,” Winter said.
Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan Created Tulsa King
Tulsa King comes from the brainchild of the Yellowstone universe, Taylor Sheridan, with Season 1 becoming one of the most-watched shows he’s created. Season 2 sees Stallone’s Mafia capo character, Dwight “The General” Manfredi, face legal troubles once again after being sent to Tulsa following a 25-year prison sentence for murder. According to plot details shared by Stallone, Dwight represents himself in court as he faces attempted bribery charges following his arrest at the end of Season 1 by ATF agent and love interest Stacy Beale (Andrea Savage). Once Dwight gets out, he and his cohorts look to open various business ventures in Tulsa before meeting opposition from Kansas mob boss, Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo), prompting an intense battle for control.
Season 2 also features Max Casella, Jay Will, Martin Starr, Annabella Sciorra, and Vincent Piazza, all returning from Season 1 alongside Stallone and Beale. Filming wrapped for the upcoming season in late July, taking place at Eagle Rock Studios in Georgia. Winter is best known for his work as the creator/showrunner of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, writing and executive producing the classic crime drama, The Sopranos, and is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for The Wolf of Wall Street.
Season 1 of Tulsa King received a 79% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with particular praise for Stallone’s performance and the story. The series premiere also garnered 3.7 million viewers on Paramount Network, making it the highest-rated series debut on cable in 2022.
Tulsa King Season 2 premieres via Paramount+ on Sept. 15.